City Council Will Reach End Result Regarding Opus Agreement

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COLUMBIA - The Columbia City Council will vote Monday for the final time on the new development agreement with the Opus Group.

The Opus Group is looking to build a 256 bedroom student apartment complex in downtown Columbia on Locust Street in between Seventh Street and Eighth Street.

The building development has been a controversial topic since March. City council members originally voted 4-3 to approve the arrangement in a special meeting scheduled outside the regular meetings. A citizens group launched a petition to repeal that agreement and caused Opus to threaten the city with a lawsuit if they didn't meet the contractual obligations.

When Ginny Chadwick took office in April, she wanted to do something about the disagreement. She worked with Opus and the city to find a middle ground.

The new development agreement features the ground floor being used for retail space for all the public to use instead of just being accessible to the residents.